Brooke Hogan's first single sold some 2,300 copies in its opening week. The 5-foot-11, gorgeous blond teenager is positioned to become the "next Britney Spears" if you believe the hype. Oh, did I neglect to mention that Brooke's father is one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, first name Hulk.

The story here is not that another Britney clone has a record out (there are far too many of these already), but that her father, generally regarded in informed circles as the most intelligent strategic planner in wrestling history, is handling the promotion of her career. If anyone ever thought Hulk needed the wrestling business then this is your proof that you were kidding yourself all these years. Hulk Hogan may just become the next great talent agent and start cranking out new versions of N'Sync, to appear alongside Hulk at a public event near you.

Hogan has recently made headlines by appearing at the Video Music Awards with his tall blond daughter, playing the role of the tall blond doting father/agent. Never one to shy away from the limelight, Hulk has ensured his daughter gets tons of publicity wherever she goes, just by showing up with her. He has been careful to only promote her and not himself at these events, though one must wonder how a 6-foot-5 muscle-bound 50-year-old in a sleeveless tux is able to play it low-key. In fact Hogan, in between promoting Brooke, found time to issue a largely overlooked challenge to P. Diddy that this columnist feels may be the start of a huge power shift in the wrestling industry.

Hogan must ensure that his wrestling personality does not overshadow Brooke's signing to the point where she becomes known only as Hulk's daughter. What is clear is that she has a good voice and some talent, though one would suspect there are a ton of young people out there who could say the same. Success in the music industry often comes with luck or having a really good agent/promotional team behind you. She definitely has the latter, coming from a very rich family with a father who understands how to "get over" better than anyone. Hulk would be a tougher negotiator than most entertainment attorneys.

This week it was actually reported that Brooke was a WWE performer. One would normally write this off as a mistake by a misinformed mainstream entertainment reporter, though it has definitely fueled rumors that Hogan may have put it out there in an effort to manipulate a strong position in future WWE negotiations. I tend to think that Hogan's main focus right now is Brooke's career, and just off the top of my head, I have a hard time understanding why anyone worth tens of millions of dollars would want to be back in WWE to begin with. If it is boredom or pursuit of a challenge that is the rush for Hogan, then making his daughter the next Britney Spears should occupy most of his attention.

K-5 NEWS

Ray Traylor (known professionally as Big Bossman, among other aliases) passed away this week from a massive heart attack. Condolences to his family and friends ... I spoke with Tommy Dreamer this past week. Tommy had read this column from a previous week speaking about how great he would be in his new job and was calling to say thanks. Tommy is a great guy and a very conscientious professional.